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Focus for USA

We are praying and fasting for the USA for three days from 30 April to 2 May. This will climax with 24 hours of continuous prayer for the USA on Zoom beginning at 8 PM (AEST) on 2 May. Join as you are able anytime over that period. Both the USA and Australia need revival, repentance and deliverance. See here for more details.

Intention

To appreciate the privilege and obligation of sharing the good news about Jesus.

Scripture

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?”

– Romans 1:16; 10:14

Reflection

Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is the highest privilege and greatest obligation we have in our short lives on this planet.

That is clearly what our Lord Jesus and His great apostle Paul had uppermost in their hearts. And they want us to engage in bringing in the harvest of the ages from all the world’s diverse people groups. We are invited to enlarge God’s eternal family.

Yet, in our busy, driven lifestyles, we usually do not take time to get to know, pray for and reach out to those around us. Tragically, therefore, they may not have the opportunity to come to know Jesus, His unique purpose for their lives, and their potential glorious destiny in Heaven.

It has been said that the only thing we can take with us into eternity is other people. Everything else will be gone in a moment when our lives come to an end. How many will be with us on the other side that we have cared for enough to share Christ with?

Frank Jenner, despite health limitations, for decades sought to share Jesus on George Street in Sydney. He encountered thousands upon thousands. Frank cut to the chase, asking strangers, “If you died within 24 hours, where would you be in eternity? Heaven or hell?”

If they were willing to engage in conversation, he would invite them either to his home or to a local church.

Australian evangelist Arthur Stace wrote “Eternity” on Sydney’s sidewalks. He did this as a wake-up call for people to consider where they would be after death.

Frank and Arthur impacted thousands upon thousands who became followers of Jesus through their up-front witness.

We may think such methods are too ‘in your face’. But if we knew someone was going to be walking through the woods at night unaware that there were vicious wild animals or a cliff ahead, wouldn’t we warn them? How much more if the stakes are eternal?

We don’t have to share Jesus the way these street evangelists did. God will show us the best way as we pray and make ourselves available to share with others.

Let’s pray for those who don’t know the Lord, asking Him to move upon their hearts and to enable us to make Him known. It is prayer that prepares the way. Prayer also gives us power from the Holy Spirit to overcome shyness and to do it appropriately.

Our obligation to pray and share His good news goes beyond our community. We are meant to pray for people groups that have never heard about Jesus. We are to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). The Greek word for ‘nations’ is ethne – meaning ‘ethnic groups’ within nations.

Thousands of people groups have few believers in them. As a result, they are unlikely to ever hear the gospel. That is why we must “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field” (Matt 9:38).

Every church or other ministry ought to adopt one such unreached people group for prayer to help fulfil Jesus’ Great Commission (see the Joshua Project).

Video

Church Arise (His Radiance is Upon You) – Terry and Barbi Franklin

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the awesome privilege of being Your agents to share You with others on earth.

Please pour out Your Spirit upon us and show us those we ought to be in prayer for around us as well as those in an unreached people group.

Anoint and empower us to share You with loving boldness, so You will be glorified and many needing You will become members of Your eternal family.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Author Bio

John Robb founded and leads the Transformation Prayer Foundation. He also serves as the coordinator for the Unreached Peoples Task Force (affiliated with the GO Movement). John is the former chairman of International Prayer Connect (IPC), a global network of regional and national prayer ministries. With the IPC, he helped lead and begin the first World Prayer Assembly held in 2012 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Prayer Points and Purpose for GO Month 2024

1. To worship Jesus and give extravagant praise to God. 1 Chron 16:23–31.
2. To pray for revival, repentance and deliverance for Australia and for millions to find Christ. Acts 2:1–41.
3. To pray for five people by name to find Christ and share the gospel with those five in May. Matt 28:18–20.

We invite you to support this prayer campaign to multiply prayer in Australia for revival and see millions come to Christ. Every donation to the Canberra Declaration helps us promote prayer and make a stand for Family, Faith, Freedom, Life, and the Good News of God’s love through Jesus Christ His Son.

Join us for our nightly Zoom prayer call:

DATES: Every night in May

TIME: 8 PM (AEST); 7:30 PM (ACST); 6 PM (AWST)

ZOOM URL LINK: https://zoom.us/j/776881184

Daily devotions are brought to you by the Canberra Declaration.

Photo by Vlada Karpovich.